News & Insights

Finra, Sec, And Nasaa Offer New Resource To Assist Securities Firms In Implementing The Training Requirements Of The Senior Safe Act

FINRA, SEC, and NASAA recently announced a new presentation intended to assist securities firms in detecting, preventing, and reporting financial exploitation of seniors pursuant to the Senior Safe Act, Section 303 of the “Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act,” which was signed into law on May 24, 2018, as well as the state…
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The Alabama Court Of Civil Appeals Disallows A Contractual Agreement Preventing Venue To Be Established In The State Of Alabama

In Sellers v. Venture Express, Inc. (not yet released for publication), the Plaintiff asserted a workers’ compensation action in the Circuit Court of Cullman County asserting an on-the-job injury in the course and scope of her employment with Defendant Venture Express.  The claimed  injury occurred in Alabama, but the Plaintiff and Defendant entered into an…
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Tennessee Appellate Court Affirms Trial Court’s Holding That Owner Of Corporation Engaged As Contractor On Construction Project Could Not Be Held Personally Liable For Corporation’s Alleged Statutory Violations

In Clarksville Towers, LLC v. Straussberger, the Court of Appeals of Tennessee analyzed whether the trial court properly granted summary judgment for the owner of a corporation which was engaged as the contractor in a multi-million-dollar construction project. 2021 WL 1884636, at *1 (Tenn. Ct. App. May 11, 2021). The plaintiff, Clarksville Towers, LLC (“Clarksville Towers”), sought to hold…
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Osha Issues Emergency Temporary Standard For Covid 19 For Healthcare Employees

On June 10, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) published an Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) limited to employers in the healthcare section for COVID-19.  OSHA has the authority to issue an ETS without utilizing the regular rulemaking process if it determines that (1) workers are exposed to grave danger from exposure to substances…
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Federal Court Remands Unfair Trade Practices Lawsuit Against Exxon

The United States District Court for the District of Connecticut has granted the state’s remand motion in its case against Exxon Mobil for allegedly misleading the public about connections between its products and climate change, as well as alleged interference with the marketplace for renewable energy and “greenwashing.”  Connecticut v. Exxon Mobil Corp., No. 3:20-cv-1555…
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Engineer’s Contractual Indemnity Claim Against Contractor Dismissed, As Indemnification Agreement Excluded Claims For Damages To The Work Itself

In County of Saratoga v. Delaware Engineering, D.P.C., 189 A.D.3d 1926, 139 N.Y.S.3d 381 (3d Dept 2020), the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division held that an engineer’s contractual indemnity claim against the contractor was due to be dismissed, as the indemnity provision unambiguously and expressly excluded claims for damage to the “work itself.” In…
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Finra Announces All Dispute Resolution Hearing Locations Will Be Open For In Person Proceedings On August 2, 2021

In March of 2020, FINRA announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it had administratively postponed all in-person arbitration and mediation proceedings.  Subsequent announcements extended those adjournments through July 3, 2021.  In mid-May, 2021, FINRA announced that 62 hearing locations would be open for in-person hearings starting July 5, 2021, and recently, FINRA stated that…
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Holcim Reaches Settlement Over Alleged Illegal Leachate Discharges

On April 28, 2021, the Department of Justice lodged a proposed consent decree with the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York in the lawsuit entitled United States and State of New York v. Holcim (US) Inc., CV No. 1:21-cv-490.  The United States and the State of New York filed the…
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Supreme Court Of Texas Holds That Appellate Court Erred In Reversing Grant Of Summary Judgment For General Contractor On Negligence Claim Brought By Employee Of Its Independent Contractor

In JLB Builders, L.L.C. v. Hernandez, the Supreme Court of Texas analyzed whether the Texas Court of Appeals erred in finding a fact issue existed as to whether a general contractor on a construction project owed a duty of care to a concrete subcontractor’s employee who was injured on the job. 2021 WL 1822947, at *1 (Tex….
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